Magician King (Grossman)

The Magician King (The Magicians Trilogy, 2)
Lev Grossman, 2012
Penguin Group USA
416 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780452298019


Summary
Quentin Coldwater should be happy. He escaped a miserable Brooklyn childhood, matriculated at a secret college for magic, and graduated to discover that Fillory—a fictional utopia—was actually real. But even as a Fillorian king, Quentin finds little peace. His old restlessness returns, and he longs for the thrills a heroic quest can bring.

Accompanied by his oldest friend, Julia, Quentin sets off—only to somehow wind up back in the real world and not in Fillory, as they'd hoped. As the pair struggle to find their way back to their lost kingdom, Quentin is forced to rely on Julia's illicitly-learned sorcery as they face a sinister threat in a world very far from the beloved fantasy novels of their youth. (From the publisher.)

This is the second book of the Magicians Trilogy: the first is The Magicians (2009), and the final is The Magician's Land (2014).

Author Bio
• Birth—June 26, 1969
• Raised—Concord, Massachusetts, USA
• Education—B.A., Harvard College; Yale University (graduate studies)
• Awards—Alex Award; John W. Campbell Award
• Currently—lives in Brooklyn, New York, New York USA


Lev Grossman is an American novelist and journalist, notably the author of the Magicians Trilogy: The Magicians (2009), The Magician King (2011), The Magician's Land (2014). He is a senior writer and book critic for Time.

Personal life
Grossman is the twin brother of video game designer and novelist Austin Grossman, and brother of sculptor Bathsheba Grossman, and the son of the poet Allen Grossman and the novelist Judith Grossman. He graduated from Harvard in 1991 with a degree in literature. Grossman then attended a Ph.D. program in comparative literature for three years at Yale University, but left before completing his dissertation. He lives in Brooklyn with a daughter named Lily from a previous marriage and his second wife, Sophie Gee, whom he married in early 2010. In 2012, his second child, Benedict, was born.

Journalism
Grossman has written for the New York Times, Wired, Salon.com, Lingua Franca, Entertainment Weekly, Time Out New York, Wall Street Journal, and Village Voice. He has served as a member of the board of directors of the National Book Critics Circle and as the chair of the Fiction Awards Panel.

In writing for Time, he has also covered the consumer electronics industry, reporting on video games, blogs, viral videos and Web comics like Penny Arcade and Achewood. In 2006, he traveled to Japan to cover the unveiling of the Wii console. He has interviewed Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Salman Rushdie, Neil Gaiman, Joan Didion, Jonathan Franzen, J.K. Rowling, and Johnny Cash. He wrote one of the earliest pieces on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. Grossman was also the author of the "Time Person of the Year 2010" feature article on Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Novels
Lev Grossman's first novel, Warp, was published in 1997 after he moved to New York City. Warp is about "the lyrical misadventures of an aimless 20-something in Boston who has trouble distinguishing between reality and Star Trek." His second novel Codex, published in 2004, became an international bestseller.

In 2009 Grossman published the book that he is best known for, The Magicians. It became a New York Times bestseller. The Washington Post called it “Exuberant and inventive.... Fresh and compelling...a great fairy tale.” The New York Times said the book "could crudely be labeled a Harry Potter for adults," injecting mature themes into fantasy literature.

The Magicians won the 2010 Alex Award, given to ten adult books that appeal to young adults; the book also won the 2011 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

The book's sequel The Magician King came out in 2011 and returns readers to the magical land of Fillory, where Quentin and his friends are now kings and queens. The Chicago Tribune called it "The Catcher in the Rye for devotees of alternative universes" and "a rare, strange and scintillating novel." It was an Editor's Choice pick of the New York Times, which referred to it as a "serious, heartfelt novel [that] turns the machinery of fantasy inside out." The Boston Globe called the it "a rare achievement, a book that simultaneously criticizes and celebrates our deep desire for fantasy."

The final book of the Magician's Trilogy, The Magician's Land, was published in 2014. Kirkus Reviews referred to it as a " brilliant fantasy filled with memorable characters" and called it "endlessly fascinating."

Grossman confirmed that he has sold the rights for a television adaptation of The Magicians but added that he's not certain the source material would be conducive to a film adaptation. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 5/21/14.)

Book Reviews
This serious, heartfelt novel turns the machinery of fantasy inside out.
New York Times Book Review


A darkly cunning story about the power of imagination itself.
The New Yorker


The Magician King is a rare achievement, a book that simultaneously criticizes and celebrates our deep desire for fantasy
Boston Globe


[The Magician King] is The Catcher in the Rye for devotees of alternative universes. It’s dazzling and devil-may-care.... Grossman has created a rare, strange, and scintillating novel.
Chicago Tribune


Readers who have already enjoyed The Magicians should lose no time in picking up The Magician King. For those who haven’t, read both books: Grossman’s work is solid, smart, and engaging adult fantasy
Miami Herald


Grossman has devised an enchanted milieu brimming with possibility, and his sly authorial voice gives it a literary life that positions The Magician King well above the standard fantasy fare.
San Francisco Chronicle


Grossman's stylish sequel to The Magicians smoothly fuses adventure fantasy, magic realism, and mythic fiction. It's been two years since Quentin, Eliot, Janet, and Julia have become kings and queens of the magical utopia of Fillory, but Quentin is becoming bored with his seemingly idyllic existence. Spurred on by a dark prophecy of the "Seeing Hare," "one of the Unique Beasts of Fillory," he and Julia decide to embark on a trip to a faraway island, but their voyage turns out to be more perilous than expected and they end up back on Earth. With no apparent means to return to their home at Castle Whitespire, they must somehow find a way back to Fillory and save their realm from imminent destruction. Grossman effortlessly injects innumerable pop culture and literary references (Monty Python, Harry Potter, Pink Floyd, the Lorax, the Teletubbies, etc.) into the fantastical storyline. Mainstream fiction and fantasy fans alike will find this fairy tale for adults rewarding.
Publishers Weekly


Grossman's sequel to his best-selling The Magicians returns to the magical land of Fillory as Quentin, Eliot, Janet, and Julia enjoy pampered lives as kings and queens. A sudden tragedy pushes Quentin and Julia to volunteer for a sea voyage to a remote island. What was supposed to be a routine trip turns into disaster when they are abruptly returned to the real world, with no way back to Fillory. The thought of remaining there is unbearable to both, so Quentin turns to old allies for assistance. Meanwhile, we see flashbacks from Julia's perspective of the long and difficult road she took to gain magical powers. Grossman's flawed characters struggle for what they want and often lose their way, a refreshing twist. Fillory's pointed resemblance to Narnia gets a bit tiresome, however. Verdict: This is best for readers who like some grit and realism in their fantasy and who have read the first book. —Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib.
Library Journal


Fans of The Magicians will find this sequel a feast and will be delighted that a jaw-dropping denouement surely promises a third volume to come.
Booklist


Now a king in the magical land of Fillory, Quentin embarks on a quest to save the universe in Grossman's searing sequel to The Magicians (2009, etc.).... It's been two years since Quentin assumed one of Fillory's four crowns along with Eliot and Janet.... Echoes from The Chronicles of Narnia, in particular The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, continue to reverberate, but Grossman's psychologically complex characters and grim reckoning with tragic sacrifice far surpass anything in C.S. Lewis' pat Christian allegory.... Fabulous fantasy spiked with bitter adult wisdom—not to be missed.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
1. Who is Quentin Coldwater? What are your first impressions of him? How would you describe his life as one of the kings of Fillory? How does he see his affairs at the beginning of the book?

2. How would you describe Julia when you first read about her? How does she differ from her comrades? How does that difference inform her actions throughout the book?

3. During the initial leg of his journey, Quentin reads The Seven Golden Keys. What significance does this story have for Quentin? How does this story of a man searching for his daughter relate to the rest of the novel?

4. When Quentin and Julia are accidentally transported to Earth, describe their reaction to returning. What does being back on Earth mean to each of them? What drives each of them to return to Fillory?

5. How does the Neitherlands connect the worlds in this book? Why do you think the Neitherlands are affected by the events of the novel?

6. What does Quentin learn from the Dragon of the Grand Canal? What does the dragon mean? How does this news complicate not only Quentin’s plan to return to Fillory, but the purpose of his quest?

7. Who is Poppy? How do her views challenge the other magicians in this journey? When she claims that Quentin wants to return to Fillory “because it’s easier,” what does she mean by that? Do you agree?

8. Why are the travelers successful in returning to Fillory after spending a night playing games with a little boy called Thomas? Why is this significant? What relationship do you see between childhood and the idea of magic?

9.  What is your understanding of magic as it is portrayed in this novel? How would you describe the culture of magicians? How does Julia’s magic differ from Quentin’s? What relationship does magic have with ideas like God and religion?

10. Following the battle to retrieve the next to last key, Quentin finds that fate has dealt a blow to Benedict. What effect does this event have on Quentin? How does what happened to Benedict change the tone of the adventure?

11. Toward the end of the novel, it is revealed that Julia endured a devastating event. How would you describe what happened to her? What effect did it have on her? What is your opinion of what Julia ultimately becomes?

 12. What sacrifice does Quentin make at the end of the book? What’s your take on this? How does this affect his character? What do you think lies in store for Quentin?
(Questions issued by publisher.)

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